The Quarter Quell
by nibbles131
Summary: 16 Year old Taela is reaped for the third Quarter Quell since the beginning of the games, but what happens when her boyfriend is picked as the male district? Will she sacrifice herself for him or save herself? (Will only contain a few characters from the books/films).


I wake up breathing heavily, It's just a bad dream I tell myself. But they've been getting more frequent, knowing the reaping was today didn't help matters, my name is in that bowl so many times because of claiming tesserae its ridiculous.

This time every year is always the worst, the nightmares start about two weeks before the reaping and they're always with me fighting for survival in the games. I try to go back to sleep but its useless the feeling of dread sits there and refuses to allow me sleep so I get up and go to the bathroom.

Walking over to the sink I turn the only tap and cup some of the freezing cold water splashing my face with it. Its bitterly cold and it wakes me instantly, I stare into the mirror looking at my pale skin, my blue eyes look tired and my dark hair is an absolute mess.

I switch off the tap and leave the bathroom, its freezing in here and since we can't afford heating I have to grab the thickest pieces of clothing I own. Slipping a jumper on I pull the sleeves down and sit on my creaky old bed.

Grabbing the flimsy brush from the bedside cabinet I began brushing the tangled mess that was my hair. Combing through it I thought about the reaping today and what would happen if I could picked, the chances were slim but they were there. Would Nikandro miss me? I shake that thought away, of course he would miss me but the thought of leaving him hurts too much to think about and I clear any thought away.

But one thing that doesn't leave is what if he was reaped? Winners rarely come from district eleven because of the careers, a group I despise in every Hunger Games. The chances of him winning would be low, the same if I was picked but I doubt it would come to that.

Putting the brush down I could feel the tears forcing their way to the surface and I didn't have the strength to stop them, they fell hot and heavy, I curled up on my bed and just cried, I could die at just sixteen but even if I didn't what was there to live for? Life in this district was tightly controlled, we were poor and I would be leaving school soon to go to work out in the orchards doing long hours under the watchful eyes of the peace makers.

I considered what life would be like had I lived in one of the careers districts or even the capitol, I wouldn't have to worry about me and my family starving to death and I'd be living a life of luxury in my fancy house. All these thoughts made me angrier and the tears to flow freely.

I hated this life and either way going into the Games or not I'd probably die young and that was a fact that brought a coldness that wouldn't disappear with warm clothes to seep its way into my bones and settle there.

Sitting downstairs I looked out the window at the houses surrounding, people walked the streets cautiously and were looking nervous. A feeling of jealousy filled me, they were lucky; they didn't have to worry about being picked for the games and knowing your chances of survival were slim. It was a cruel thing to say but I didn't care I was angry and upset, I couldn't tell anyone apart from Nik because it could get me into serious trouble but even that could be taken away from me.

I went into the kitchen and looked at my mother, that was when she burst into tears. I walked forwards and without words just held her tightly, I could understand her pain and I desperately prayed I wouldn't get picked because I knew it would absolutely break her heart.

My 2 brothers and 3 sisters were too young to be in the reaping so luckily they weren't forced to go just to watch it on the television at home. My mother knew that in a few months my sister; Kaela and my brother; Toma would be old enough to be reaped and three of her children could be picked to go to their death.

After what felt like forever my mother finally managed to stop crying and looked at me with tear filled eyes; "baby, if you get picked. I-I want you to fight with everything you have okay?" Her voice broke at the end it pained me to see how bad this was getting to her, she was like this every Games and it was wrong but every time they picked somebody we both would be filled with a sense of relief. I nodded and she managed to smile.

I got my shoes on and got my stuff ready, with my mother standing ready behind me I opened the front door, getting hit by a bitter breeze I stepped outside and began to make my way to the reaping.


End file.
